Jerry Kerr
Encyclopedia
Jasper Jerald 'Jerry' Kerr (1 June 1912 - 8 November 1999) was a Scottish
football
player and manager, best known as manager of Dundee United
from 1959 to 1971. He is credited with taking the club from relative obscurity to being mainstays in what is now the Scottish Premier League
.
, Kerr was a full back in a playing career which began at Armadale
and took him to Motherwell
and Alloa Athletic
before joining St Bernards in 1937. He captained the Edinburgh
side to the Scottish Cup
semi-finals in his first season at the Gymnasium, where they eventually lost to fellow Second Division side East Fife
in a second replay. He became one of new Dundee United manager Bobby McKay
’s first signings during the close season of 1939 and again was made club captain but only four League matches of season 1939-40
were played before the competition was abandoned. Kerr was one of only three players who remained with United after the outbreak of war, and played as his team progressed to the final of the Emergency War Cup (effectively the Scottish Cup, but with relaxed registration rules due to the Second World War
). He was, however, unlucky to sustain a shoulder injury in the semi-final which kept him out of the final against Rangers
, at Hampden
. Kerr briefly played for Rangers after the war before moving towards a coaching career.
club Peebles Rovers
, followed by a spell at Berwick Rangers
before being appointed manager of Alloa Athletic
in 1955, a club where he had spent time as a player. He became known as having an eye for a good player, also having a theory that the bigger the club, the worse the talent-spotting. When at Alloa he assembled a partnership of inside forwards Dennis Gillespie
(who he would later take to Tannadice
) and John White. Two years after Kerr had sold White to Falkirk
, Tottenham Hotspur
spent £20,000 to lure him to North London, an indication of the talent Kerr had for finding good young players.
In 1959 United manager Andy McCall – their fifth in less than five years – had just resigned after leading the part-time club to third bottom place in Division Two and there was little expectation that fortunes would improve significantly. Dundee United advertised for a new manager; Jerry Kerr was the man given the apparently thankless task of reviving the club in April that year.
in his first season in charge.
They doubled again the following season as United retained their place, and with players like Ron Yeats
and the striking partnership Dennis Gillespie (who Kerr had brought with him from Alloa) and Jim Irvine scoring 21 and 23 goals respectively not only did United finish a highly creditable ninth, but they topped their city rivals by a point.
Kerr was also imaginative and inspired with some of his signings. With Hal Stewart of Morton
, he was the first to see the possibility of tapping Scandinavia
for cultured players at an affordable price. And by 1964, Lennart Wing
, Finn Døssing
, Mogens Berg
and Örjan Persson
were Tannadice stalwarts.
Off the field, Kerr was just as remarkable. He had been greatly taken by the success of Warwickshire County Cricket Club
in raising money for the rebuilding of Edgbaston
through the medium of a football pool. The English county made hundreds of thousands of pounds from this idea and a conversation with their secretary, Les Deakin led Kerr to set up Taypools, which, for about a decade, brought money cascading into the club. Using his great capacity for lateral thinking and an ability to adapt and even improve the ideas of others he helped secure the finance of the growing club. As well as raising money to invest in the squad Kerr's Taypools helped rebuild some of Tannadice, building the new West ("The Shed") and North stands and the opening of, what was at the time the state-of-the-art, Main Stand which was later, fittingly, renamed The Jerry Kerr Stand.
Kerr is also credited with another landmark moment in the club's history, as he led United into their first ever European tie in 1966. This produced an astonishing 4-1 aggregate victory over FC Barcelona
in the Fairs Cup
, which included a 2–1 win at the Nou Camp.
who would build upon Kerr's successful base over the following seasons. It seems Kerr was never comfortable with his new duties and he left the club, with the minimum of publicity, at the end of season 1972-73
with a legacy hard to exaggerate. He is remembered for taking a small club, third from the bottom in Scottish League Football to a secure place in the top division, consistently finishing above clubs with larger reputations at the time like Hibernian
, Hearts
and Aberdeen
. He later managed Forfar Athletic
from 1974 to 1976 before retiring from football completely.
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
football
Football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player and manager, best known as manager of Dundee United
Dundee United F.C.
Dundee United Football Club is a Scottish professional football club located in the city of Dundee. Formed in 1909, originally as Dundee Hibernian, the club changed to the present name in 1923...
from 1959 to 1971. He is credited with taking the club from relative obscurity to being mainstays in what is now the Scottish Premier League
Scottish Premier League
The Scottish Premier League , also known as the SPL , is a professional league competition for association football clubs in Scotland...
.
Playing career
A native of West LothianWest Lothian
West Lothian is one of the 32 unitary council areas in Scotland, and a Lieutenancy area. It borders the City of Edinburgh, Falkirk, North Lanarkshire, the Scottish Borders and South Lanarkshire....
, Kerr was a full back in a playing career which began at Armadale
Armadale F.C.
Armadale F.C. was a Scottish football club based at Volunteer Park in Armadale, West Lothian. The club was a member of the Scottish Football League from 1921 to 1932.-History:...
and took him to Motherwell
Motherwell F.C.
Motherwell Football & Athletic Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire. The club compete in the Scottish Premier League and are one of only seven teams to have remained in this league since it was founded in 1998...
and Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic F.C.
Alloa Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division....
before joining St Bernards in 1937. He captained the Edinburgh
Edinburgh
Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland, the second largest city in Scotland, and the eighth most populous in the United Kingdom. The City of Edinburgh Council governs one of Scotland's 32 local government council areas. The council area includes urban Edinburgh and a rural area...
side to the Scottish Cup
Scottish Cup
The Scottish Football Association Challenge Cup,, commonly known as the Scottish Cup or the William Hill Scottish Cup for sponsorship purposes, is the main national cup competition in Scottish football. It is a knockout cup competition run by and named after the Scottish Football Association.The...
semi-finals in his first season at the Gymnasium, where they eventually lost to fellow Second Division side East Fife
East Fife F.C.
East Fife Football Club are a Scottish football club based in the Fife coastal town of Methil...
in a second replay. He became one of new Dundee United manager Bobby McKay
Bobby McKay
Robert McKay was a Scottish international footballer and manager.-Career:...
’s first signings during the close season of 1939 and again was made club captain but only four League matches of season 1939-40
1939-40 in Scottish football
The 1939–40 would have been the 50th season of competitive football in Scotland. However, the outbreak of the Second World War on 3 September 1939 caused the suspension of the league after five rounds of games played in Division One, and four rounds in Division Two...
were played before the competition was abandoned. Kerr was one of only three players who remained with United after the outbreak of war, and played as his team progressed to the final of the Emergency War Cup (effectively the Scottish Cup, but with relaxed registration rules due to the Second World War
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
). He was, however, unlucky to sustain a shoulder injury in the semi-final which kept him out of the final against Rangers
Rangers F.C.
Rangers Football Club are an association football club based in Glasgow, Scotland, who play in the Scottish Premier League. The club are nicknamed the Gers, Teddy Bears and the Light Blues, and the fans are known to each other as bluenoses...
, at Hampden
Hampden Park
Hampden Park is a football stadium in the Mount Florida area of Glasgow, Scotland. The 52,063 capacity venue serves as the national stadium of football in Scotland...
. Kerr briefly played for Rangers after the war before moving towards a coaching career.
Move into Management
It was in the field of football management where Kerr's true strengths began to emerge. His first post was as player/manager with the East of Scotland LeagueEast of Scotland Football League
The East of Scotland Football League is a league of football teams from south-east Scotland formed in 1923. It is one of Scotland's three "senior" non-leagues which sit below the Scottish Football League , the other two being the Highland Football League and the South of Scotland Football League...
club Peebles Rovers
Peebles Rovers F.C.
Peebles Rovers Football Club is a Scottish football club based in Peebles, Scottish Borders. The club name was resurrected in 2010 after playing since 2006 as Peebles Football Club...
, followed by a spell at Berwick Rangers
Berwick Rangers F.C.
Berwick Rangers Football Club are a football team based in the English Border town of Berwick-upon-Tweed, although they play in the Scottish Football League Third Division...
before being appointed manager of Alloa Athletic
Alloa Athletic F.C.
Alloa Athletic Football Club are a Scottish football team based in Alloa, Clackmannanshire. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Third Division....
in 1955, a club where he had spent time as a player. He became known as having an eye for a good player, also having a theory that the bigger the club, the worse the talent-spotting. When at Alloa he assembled a partnership of inside forwards Dennis Gillespie
Dennis Gillespie
Dennis Gillespie was a Scottish footballer, notable for his time with Dundee United, where he remains one of the club's all-time top goalscorers.-External links:* -Sources:*...
(who he would later take to Tannadice
Tannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
) and John White. Two years after Kerr had sold White to Falkirk
Falkirk F.C.
Falkirk Football Club is a Scottish professional football club based in Falkirk. It is one of two professional football teams from the town, the other being East Stirlingshire...
, Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
spent £20,000 to lure him to North London, an indication of the talent Kerr had for finding good young players.
In 1959 United manager Andy McCall – their fifth in less than five years – had just resigned after leading the part-time club to third bottom place in Division Two and there was little expectation that fortunes would improve significantly. Dundee United advertised for a new manager; Jerry Kerr was the man given the apparently thankless task of reviving the club in April that year.
Success in the '60s
Kerr first policy upon joining United was his insistence that his players be full-time. A gamble that could have cost the club dearly. He also insisted that there had to be a properly constituted reserve side and an end to the previous policy of buying in over-the-hill First Division players. In the summer of 1960 the gamble paid off, after beating his former club Berwick Rangers at Tannadice, Kerr's United had secured second place in Division Two and promotion to Scotland's top flight. The records show that Kerr had more than doubled attendances at TannadiceTannadice Park
Tannadice Park, usually referred to as Tannadice, is a football stadium located on Tannadice Street in the Scottish city of Dundee. The stadium is home of Dundee United F.C. and has a capacity of 14,209.-Early days :...
in his first season in charge.
They doubled again the following season as United retained their place, and with players like Ron Yeats
Ron Yeats
Ronald 'Ron' Yeats is a Scottish former footballer. He was the captain of the first great Liverpool team of the 1960s.-Life and playing career:...
and the striking partnership Dennis Gillespie (who Kerr had brought with him from Alloa) and Jim Irvine scoring 21 and 23 goals respectively not only did United finish a highly creditable ninth, but they topped their city rivals by a point.
Kerr was also imaginative and inspired with some of his signings. With Hal Stewart of Morton
Greenock Morton F.C.
Greenock Morton Football Club are a Scottish professional football club, who currently play in the Scottish Football League First Division. The club was founded as Morton Football Club in 1874, making it one of the oldest senior Scottish clubs....
, he was the first to see the possibility of tapping Scandinavia
Scandinavia
Scandinavia is a cultural, historical and ethno-linguistic region in northern Europe that includes the three kingdoms of Denmark, Norway and Sweden, characterized by their common ethno-cultural heritage and language. Modern Norway and Sweden proper are situated on the Scandinavian Peninsula,...
for cultured players at an affordable price. And by 1964, Lennart Wing
Lennart Wing
Lennart Wing is a Swedish former international footballer who played in defence.-Career:Wing was an international with ÖIS when he moved to Dundee United in January 1965 with countryman Örjan Persson. Wing played nearly seventy league games for United before returning to ÖIS in April...
, Finn Døssing
Finn Døssing
Finn Døssing Jensen is a former Danish football player most famous for his spell in Scotland at Dundee United in the 1960s. He is one of the greatest goalscorers ever at the club, where he remains hugely popular....
, Mogens Berg
Mogens Berg
Mogens Berg is a Danish former football player, who played professionally as a winger for Scottish club Dundee United. He played eight games and scored one goal for the Denmark national football team.-Career:...
and Örjan Persson
Örjan Persson
Per Örjan Persson is a former Swedish football player probably most famous for playing for Scottish clubs Dundee United and later Rangers in the 1960s...
were Tannadice stalwarts.
Off the field, Kerr was just as remarkable. He had been greatly taken by the success of Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club
Warwickshire County Cricket Club is one of the 18 major county clubs which make up the English and Welsh domestic cricket structure, representing the historic county of Warwickshire. Its limited overs team is called the Warwickshire Bears. Their kit colours are black and gold and the shirt sponsor...
in raising money for the rebuilding of Edgbaston
Edgbaston Cricket Ground
Edgbaston Cricket Ground, also known as the County Ground or Edgbaston Stadium, is a cricket ground in the Edgbaston area of Birmingham, England...
through the medium of a football pool. The English county made hundreds of thousands of pounds from this idea and a conversation with their secretary, Les Deakin led Kerr to set up Taypools, which, for about a decade, brought money cascading into the club. Using his great capacity for lateral thinking and an ability to adapt and even improve the ideas of others he helped secure the finance of the growing club. As well as raising money to invest in the squad Kerr's Taypools helped rebuild some of Tannadice, building the new West ("The Shed") and North stands and the opening of, what was at the time the state-of-the-art, Main Stand which was later, fittingly, renamed The Jerry Kerr Stand.
Kerr is also credited with another landmark moment in the club's history, as he led United into their first ever European tie in 1966. This produced an astonishing 4-1 aggregate victory over FC Barcelona
FC Barcelona
Futbol Club Barcelona , also known as Barcelona and familiarly as Barça, is a professional football club, based in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain....
in the Fairs Cup
Inter-Cities Fairs Cup
The Inter-Cities Fairs Cup was a European football competition played between 1955 and 1971. The competition was the idea of Swiss pools supremo Ernst Thommen, Ottorino Barassi from Italy, and the English Football Association general secretary Stanley Rous, all of whom later became senior officials...
, which included a 2–1 win at the Nou Camp.
Retirement
By 1971, Kerr (then aged 59) had taken Dundee United as far as he reasonably could. In November of that year he assumed the post of general manager, the job which he had transformed into one of the most sought-after in Scottish football going to Jim McLeanJim McLean
James Yuill McLean is a Scottish former football player and manager. He is best known for his 22-year spell as manager of Dundee United; the longest-serving and most successful manager in the club's history, he led them to three major honours and established them as a force in European competitions...
who would build upon Kerr's successful base over the following seasons. It seems Kerr was never comfortable with his new duties and he left the club, with the minimum of publicity, at the end of season 1972-73
1972-73 in Scottish football
The 1972–73 season was the 76th season of Scottish league football.-Scottish League Division One:Champions: Celtic Relegated: Kilmarnock, Airdrieonians-Scottish League Division Two:Promoted: Clyde, Dunfermline Athletic...
with a legacy hard to exaggerate. He is remembered for taking a small club, third from the bottom in Scottish League Football to a secure place in the top division, consistently finishing above clubs with larger reputations at the time like Hibernian
Hibernian F.C.
Hibernian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Leith, in the north of Edinburgh. They are one of two Scottish Premier League clubs in the city, the other being their Edinburgh derby rivals, Hearts...
, Hearts
Heart of Midlothian F.C.
Heart of Midlothian Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Gorgie, in the west of Edinburgh. They currently play in the Scottish Premier League and are one of the two principal clubs in the city, the other being Hibernian...
and Aberdeen
Aberdeen F.C.
Aberdeen Football Club are a Scottish professional football club based in Aberdeen...
. He later managed Forfar Athletic
Forfar Athletic F.C.
Forfar Athletic Football Club are a Scottish semi-professional football club from the town of Forfar, Angus. They are members of the Scottish Football League and currently play in the Second Division...
from 1974 to 1976 before retiring from football completely.